Kurt Volker

Both the wars in Afghanistan and Libya reveal serious flaws in the Alliance. If they can’t be fixed, perhaps it's time for a 'back to basics' NATO and a return to coalitions of the willing.

Whether it is a matter of weeks or months, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi will probably fall from power, and opposition forces will likely gain control of most of Libya.

In Afghanistan, the United States has begun withdrawing troops and allies are following suit. Over the next few years, despite best efforts to train Afghan security forces, Afghanistan's corrupt and ineffective government will likely have to accommodate radical Islamist Pashtuns (the Taliban in all but name) in the south and east, and acknowledge the old Northern Alliance's sway in the north. The west of the country will remain heavily influenced by Iran.

The best-case scenario may simply be that the central government does not collapse when international forces fall below critical mass.

Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and Atlantic Council Strategic Advisors Group member Kurt Volker argues that allied political leaders must make a stronger case for NATO and that the Alliance must be seen as successful for it to regain public support in his brief “Increasing Outreach, Public Understanding and Support for NATO across the Transatlantic Community.”Download the PDF

In the Eurasia Task Force Issue Brief: "Modernizing the OSCE: An Agenda Item for Astana," Kurt Volker, Managing Director of the the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Atlantic Council senior advisor and member of the Strategic Advisors Group (SAG), proposes strategies for OSCE reform through a historical lens.

Participants:

Kori Schake, Former Director for Defense Strategy and Requirements, National Security CouncilHarlan Ullman, Founder, Kiloween Group; Senior Advisor, Atlantic CouncilKurtVolker, Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO; Senior Advisor, Atlantic Council Moderated by Damon Wilson, Vice President and Director, Program on International Security, Atlantic Council
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Edgar Buckley and Kurt Volker, members of the Strategic Advisors Group (SAG), outline four crucial areas of the NATO decision-making process that require immediate consideration for reform in the SAG issue brief "NATO Reform and Decision-Making."

Kurt Volker, Atlantic Council senior advisor and member of the Strategic Advisors Group (SAG), describes the challenges facing NATO and calls for unity to the divergent goals and ambitions of member states in the SAG issue brief "A New Transatlantic Compact."